Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Jelena Ivanović
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić is the creative director of the agency Scholz & Friends Belgrade and is one of the most successful creative directors in Serbia and the region. A few months ago she became a member of the IAA team that is organizing the first educational program of AcademIAA. Coordinating the Creative Module, she composed the program, worked with fellow creatives and other members of the organizing team of this program. She did all of that with a smile.
What does it look like when a creative director receives an invitation to join the organization of a pioneering educational enterprise? In addition to creating concepts, programs and communications, AcademIAA required some serious organizational work.
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: Well, it’s as if someone takes you to a candy store and offers you to choose not one, not two, but 10-15 of your favorite cakes, and then arrange them in an appealing and beautiful collage. The invitation made me very happy, as well as the opportunity to design a program that will provide a comprehensive view of the “creative profession”, provide a good basis for learning and transfer the part of the magic of this work, as well as to make a “finger-licking-good” list of speakers with all the great colleagues from our scene and beyond. There was plenty of sweet anguish. Not all the topics that I consider relevant could find themselves on the list, nor all the colleagues whose lectures I not only think would be useful for students to hear, but which I myself would listen to with great attention, “smuggled in” among students. But this is just the first year, and I think that the program is ultimately very interesting and that the list of speakers guarantees that there will really be things to see, hear and learn.
What makes this program different from the other? What would be its main “comparative advantage”?
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: In order to speak about comparative advantage there would have to be something similar. But AcademIAA is something quite unique, in the first place because it is not backed by an agency or a network, but an organization such as the IAA, and on the other because the role of the speakers is filled by people who are at this very moment at the very top of the profession, which gives participants the opportunity to be in the center of events and information.
Creative Module is specific for many things. Everyone expect from it a lot of fun and color. Still, it would be good if we could send our readers an information about the topics and lecturers.
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: I believe this is rightly expected of the Creativity Module. People whose job is to devise innovative things and every day trying to create something never seen before are most certainly not your typical “teachers”, or can they be even if they wanted to (which they don’t). On the other hand, creatives, typically, do not like school, but are among the most inquisitive creatures in the world. Ana Vehauc, originally copywriter and now a top creative strategist with international experience, will open the module with her lecture Crazytivity or Creativity? and the story of how, before we begin to deal with it, we should have a clear answer to the question “what do we want to say?” She will be followed by Nadežda Milenković – from whom I myself once learned a great deal about business – and her lecture Ideology, and Slavimir Stojanović, who will talk about why less is more principle is important in communications, and his design philosophy Complicate Simply. Jana Savić and Vlada Ćosić from McCann will explain Who’s who and what’s what in Creative and will reveal to the students everything they ever wanted to know about the life of a large, organized agency and unusual creatures that populate it, and had no one to ask. Nebojša Krivokuća from Communis in his lecture Who’s Afraid of the Client? will tell them some very important things that will help them be better creatives tomorrow, and Miloš Ilić will share part of his extremely rich experiences and will encourage students to think with his lecture The Problem is in Art. Slobodan Marković and Đorđe Janković, the youngest among the lecturers, will advise them on How to start a career on the right foot, while Slaviša Savić will inspire with true and incredible anecdotes from the life of an ideaman. Anja Radulović and Bojan Brukner from Leo Burnett, as well as the guest from Croatia Davor Bruketa, will give participants the opportunity to show what they have previously learned in two interesting and challenging workshops. Milena Kvapil will talk about the creative use of media, film director Miloš Đukelić about the art of telling 30-second stories, Žarko Veljković and Ivana Zeković from Saatchi will talk about campaigns that change the world for the better, and Dušan Drakalski will remind students that a creative doesn’t seek excuses, but solutions.
What are your expectations in terms of the structure of attendees? What would make you really happy in this sense?
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: It would make me really happy to see the unbridled enthusiasm and passion for the profession, two traits that, in addition to talent that goes without saying, are the most important for the future successful creatives. I expect to see a lot of curious eyes, that will reveal interesting, original thinkers, and some future presenters at this same place. Regarding the structure, I would personally like to see a diverse group of participants, on all grounds. I think that our profession needs that – diverse, unusual people.
What do you think are the expectations of those who have applied?
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: I assume that a good part of participants see the program as an opportunity to enter into the profession in the right way, as they will have the opportunity to learn, create and meet practically the whole scene. I think that, along with this, they will also get a chance to get to know themselves, perhaps revealing some talents that they didn’t even know they had in them.
The plan is that AcademIAA becomes a regular annual activity of the IAA in the field of education. What would this mean for the Association, and the profession in Serbia?
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: For the association that would mean taking on a very important new role on our creative scene, by which it certainly gets much wider relevance. As for the profession, agencies often don’t have the time, opportunity or resources to take on such a systematic and thorough way of dealing with the education of those who are just starting, and they would all feel the benefits, as the people who come out of AcademIAA would be able to quickly and easily take on professional roles in agencies, with a more complete understanding of the entire job. In a more general sense, I think that AcademIAA can contribute to the popularization of the profession among young people.
What will you remember this project for?
Svetlana Ceca Ćopić: Sheer enthusiasm, great energy and the excitement that generally follows pioneering projects.